The Darkness Legacy
by Diabound Carnel
Summary: Rated MA: In an alternate to the second half of the Sacred Beasts' arc, Alexis becomes the target of a perverted mercenary out to help the Shadow Riders get their seven keys, provided that some of the spoils go to him. WARNING: Contains explicit content.
1. Challenge of Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Challenge of the Darkness

* * *

**

_Duelist Academy: an isolated island, far from civilization. Home to the premier boarding school for Duel Monsters, the card game that had held the world in its grasp for a generation. Now, though, in the midst of one great threat to the school and the world, a threat to one of its top students is also arising, undetected.

* * *

_

"What is it you want," a deep, scratchy voice demanded over the computer link. The camcorder display showed only darkness—the man on the other end of the connection liked his privacy. But, the same was not to be said of the man on the receiving end. Of taller-than-average height, perfect weight, muscular, with a head of close-cropped blond hair, he usually flaunted his appearance.

Right now, though, he just needed to impress this man, to let him work for his cause. It would not be easy, he knew, but he'd get the job done. He had that fire in him, that burning desire. For revenge and for something . . . more.

"Listen, I know about what you and your organization are up to. All I'm asking for is a piece of the action," he said, concluding his demands and now pleading his case. "I don't even want any of your supposed prizes, except the one thing of my choosing."

"And why do you need help from me?" the other man asked sharply.

"Simple. It's because I can't do it without two things: I need some of those shadow powers your men and women seem to have. And, second, I need a reason. I can't just barge in and demand this duel, and expect to get an answer. I'd have to resort to kidnapping and threats that I can't back up."

"I see." The shadowy man mused for a moment. "And you will be content with whatever you get from this duel? You will hand in the Key, and not ask anything in return?"

He nodded. "Of course. I don't want to take more from you than what it takes to get this duel."

The shrouded man considered for a moment. "Yes, I think I can help you. I will be sending a representative—his name is Titan—to meet with you. Although you will have to act fast, since his mission is the same as yours."

The man nodded. "I understand. When and where shall I meet him?"

The shrouded figure laughed. "The Academy's abandoned dorm will do nicely; tomorrow at midnight should do the trick." Then, the shrouded man cut the connection, and the screen went from dark to static.

"I'll be there," he promised quietly.

* * *

"Here it is," the bulky crony named Titan drawled. "A Shadow Item. It will create the illusions you need it to."

"Thanks," the man replied icily, taking the thing and slipping it into his pocket. It was nothing more than a locket with an eye inside of it. Well, at least it was discrete. "I mean that, really."

Titan didn't seem to notice—or care about—the sarcasm. "Now, get going. I and the others still have work to do."

"Sure; whatever." _I can't wait for the shadows to devour your soul._

And then his contact was gone, simply vanishing into the deep shadows of the abandoned dorm. Maybe his thoughts had come to pass, or else these Shadow Items were a lot more dangerous than he had originally thought.

Then again, you couldn't get great power—or any sort of worthwhile reward—without some sort of risk or danger.

_I'll have to keep that in mind when using this_, he reflected, rubbing the Shadow Locket between his fingers. Of all the many things it could have been, he ended up with a piece of _jewelry_. Jewelry!

But, what's done was done. With his contact gone, there was no one to complain to. No matter—it would have to do.

And now, he had a plan to formulate, and a deception to set up.

* * *

Alexis Rhodes, the "Queen of Obelisk Blue," looked out at the waves crashing along the shore of Duel Academy. She heaved a sigh, and hugged her arms around her. Twilight was fast becoming full night, and it was getting cold.

A shiver ran through her. Twilight, like her brother Atticus had become trapped in. Her brother had been one of the "missing students" who vanished mysteriously from the now-forbidden dorm. He had been turned into one of those Shadow Riders, those merciless thieves who were trying to take the seven Spirit Keys.

Alexis fingered the key hanging around her neck. They already had three: the ones held by Dr. Crowler, Zane Truesdale, and Bastion Misawa. But, Jaden had managed to stop them, at least for now. Their first emissary had been her brother, possessed by a mask and using half of the Shadow Pendant—the other half had been Jaden's, given to him by the spirit of Gravekeeper's Chief, a Duel Monsters card—to create a deadly Shadow Game.

Then, there was the vampire, joining the Riders to try and make her kind superior. She succumbed to her own inner darkness, dissolved into dust by her own Shadow Item. Then, there was the Amazon woman, who turned out to be a tiger transformed into a human by the power of her Shadow Item.

Another shiver ran along her spine. Something was wrong . . .

And then she heard it: a scream, sounding like Chazz Princeton's rough, haughty voice twisted into a horrible travesty. And it was coming from the abandoned dorm. Alexis took off at a run, one hand grasping the key hanging from her neck. For something to have caused Chazz to scream like that, well, it couldn't have been anything other than one of the Riders. There was nothing in the world that could have made him do that.

Just as she emerged from the forest in front of the condemned dorm, Alexis recoiled as another blood-curdling shriek filled the air. But it hadn't been Chazz again. It had been . . .

"_JADEN!_" she wailed, hoping someone could hear her. If that scream meant what she knew it did, that left only her and Dr. Banner as the guardians of the keys. But, even for being a teacher at the academy, Banner always struck Alexis as all brain and no backbone. She knew, deep down, that the only reason his key hadn't been turned over to the Riders is because none had bothered to challenge him.

Which meant that, if the terrible fate inside the rotting building turned out to be true, it was just be her, Alexis, standing against it. That thought paralyzed her. Despite all of her natural courage, self-control, and all the other attributes that had lead Chancellor Sheppard to name her one of the guardians, she was scared stiff of standing alone against the darkness.

And then the shaking began. It began along her spine, and spread out all over her body until her teeth were chattering painfully. She bit down on her tongue, hoping the pain would snap her out of it. A short yelp of pain, and the shaking fit was over.

"Get over it, Alexis" she hissed, hugging her arms around her as she moved into the run-down building. The chains with the "No Entry" sign were down; not surprising, as they had been rusting for years now. She navigated her way around a pile of rotten wood that half-blocked the doorway—open, now, as the door had fallen in.

The dorm's common room was pretty much how she remembered it from earlier that year—then again, she had been kidnapped and was being dragged, unconscious on the way in, and had hurried to get out after she'd been rescued.

The stress of the situation must have messed with her head; she began to giggle. The last time she'd been her, she had been the damsel in distress. Jaden had come after her when he heard her scream. This time, the situation was reversed. It wasn't really funny, but Alexis knew she was losing her grip again.

Chewing on her bottom lip to try and maintain focus, she continued into the building. The furniture of the common room—when not rotting or housing rodents—was covered in protective sheets. Cobwebs coated the ceiling and much of the walls. Alexis could just barely make out a chandelier through the tangles of spun silk.

She continued onward, turning right when the common room became a corridor. Further along, the cobwebs descended two-thirds of the way down the walls, creating curtains of silk. She plowed through them, not knowing where she was going. When she came out of the forest of sticky strands, she saw a dust-covered mirror; she cleaned it with the glove on her right hand, and looked to see how much damage had been done. She regretted that decision.

Now, the "queen" of Duel Academy looked like a spider's snack, with strands of web covering her entire upper body. Her long, straight light-brown hair now looked silver and ragged, and her Obelisk Blue uniform was not much better off. With a shake of her head, Alexis continued on, trying to spit cobwebs from her mouth.

Just as she was about to turn another corner, the floor gave out beneath her, and she tumbled down into the basement. Luckily, she managed to land in a crouch, practically sitting on a giant rock that would have made for a painful fall-breaker otherwise. Rising slowly to her feet, and stretching arms out for balance in the dark, Alexis began moving forward once again.

Moments later, after making her way bit by bit down the pitch-black corridor, she came into a cavern lit by a quartet of torches. And, on the far side were Jaden and Chazz, laying unconscious by a deep, formless shadow.

"Jaden? Chazz?" she shouted, running towards them. But, much to her surprise, the shadow detached from the wall and moved to intercept her.

"They cannot her you, ma chère," a gravelly voice said from the shadow. "They are, technically speaking, no longer here—and neither are their keys." This was followed by a laugh that returned the shiver to Alexis's spine.

"What have you done to them?" she demanded, swallowing hard against the lump rising in her throat.

"I've taught them the price of messing with the Shadow Riders. A fair lesson, mind you: I challenged them to a game of greatest desires, and they both failed to handle the pressures of having what they wanted most. So, their minds are now broken, and two more keys await the chance to open the gate between the Sacred Beasts and this world.

"What do you mean, they 'failed to handle the pressure of having what they wanted'?"

The shadow seemed to quiver in humor. "That's really quite simple, my lady. The shadows created the likeness of what they would most rather be if they weren't duelists. Jaden could not handle being a famous actor, while Chazz there couldn't keep up with the trial of political leadership. Now, they pay the price for resisting us.

"Now, then, how about we duel—it would be nice to get the third out finished with now, so the ball game can move onto the next phase, wouldn't it?"

Alexis snarled at him, and the shadow quivered again. "Oh, dear, kitty has claws!" it mocked. She glowered, and reached for the deck strapped to her belt.

"No!" the shadow ordered. "This duel will occur on the landscape of our minds." Alexis raised an eyebrow questioningly, prompting the shadow to continue. "The shadows will take our decks and display them in our minds' eyes; that way, in this type of duel, there is no chance of sneaking a peak at the other player's hand."

_What sort of duel is this_? she thought, removing the Duel Disk from her left arm and setting it on the ground beside her.

"Let the Shadow Game begin," the creature said—and suddenly Alexis felt the ground beneath her rise, until it became a stage. A single metal pole rose out of the middle of the stage, right next to her.

And, down on the floor, the shadow—she blinked. The shadow had been replaced by a man.

"Yes, this is my true appearance," he said, smiling. He was of average height, with an athletic build and close-cropped black hair. "Much better, isn't it, my sweet? Now, get a look at what your mind has created for us!" As he said this, he placed one hand on the center of his chest.

She did so, and a wave of revulsion heralded the thought that came to mind. _This is a strip club!

* * *

_

The man, Nathan, knew when the thought crossed through her mind; he could tell by the disgusted look that came to her face. She'd figured out what this place was, and he tapped the locket hidden underneath his cream-colored shirt.

This was all part of his trap. His Shadow Item had created a place he wanted it to. At the right moment, by touching it, he could use it to read his opponent's mind and pull from it everything they thought of and believed about the surroundings.

And then, probably much to the opponent's chagrin, they would begin to become what they saw and thought of about the place.

He smiled; the "Jaden" and "Chazz" she had seen moments ago hadn't really been them. They were still at their dorms, completely unaware of what was going on. By the time they found out—as this Shadow Game would be very quick, relying on the players' minds instead of hologram generators—it would be too late: the Riders' leader would have his precious key, and he'd have what he desired.

Everything was working out perfectly.

_And now, the duel can begin_.

* * *

Suddenly, Alexis understood what he'd meant by dueling on the landscape of their minds. She could see, as if they were holograms hovering before her, five cards: Étoile Cyber, Doble Passé, Torrential Tribute, Cyber Tutu, and Polymerization. She wanted to reach out and see if she could touch the hovering cards, but decided better of it; she would have to focus on this duel as hard as she could. Regardless of what cruel tricks the shadows played on her.

"Now, I guess it would be best to let the lady go first," the Shadow Rider said, smirking.

Alexis swallowed. "I summon Étoile Cyber in attack mode, and set one card face-down." _When he attacks my monster, my Doble Passé card will make it a direct attack on my Life Points. And, then my Cyber's effect kicks in._

The two cards vanished; the monster appeared further away in attack position, and the trap set itself face-down. It was disconcerting, this way of playing. It was hurting her brain.

"Now, my turn." The man drew. "I assume that you want me to trigger that trap card, allowing your monster to hurt me? It won't work, though, at least not right now. First, I'll activate Lockdown. This card prevents me from summoning this turn—but it also lets me force both of us to keep optional cards active.

"Next, I'll set these three cards face-down, and activate Exchange. Now, show me that beautiful hand, sweet," he said, as his only card flew up to meet her—it was a Fiend's Sanctuary card. He took the Torrential Tribute she hadn't wanted to risk setting.

"Now, I'll activate Hand Control, forcing you to activate a Spell Card in your hand, if I guess its name. I assume you have a Fiend's Sanctuary in your hand—so I would recommend playing that one." He smirked.

"I'll do it," she glowered. Fiend's Sanctuary created a Metal Fiend Token, a creature that reflected damage it takes back at the opponent. But, to keep it on the field, the owner had to give up 1000 Life Points at the start of her turn. And, because of Lockdown, it was no longer an option to just let the thing destroy itself. "I activate Fiend's Sanctuary, and summon Metal Fiend Token to the field."

When normally played by a Duel Disk, a hologram of the card would appear with a brief summoning animation. Instead, though, the cross-shaped links of silver balls simply appeared on the "field" of her mind's eye.

"I'll continue my turn with Nightmare's Steelcage. It'll keep us from attacking for the next few turns. And, that's all I can do."

Alexis's mind drew a card. It was Allegro Tool—and, by combining it with the Cyber Tutu in her hand, she could take out the cage and attack directly for a lot of damage. But, first, the Metal Fiend Token would have to exact its price from her Life Points . . .

"Before you enter the Standby Phase, I'll activate the Trap Card called Ojama Trio, creating a band of merry Speedo-wearing freaks for your enjoyment."

Alexis wanted to die upon seeing the three Ojama Tokens: the thin yellow one with eyestalks, the round green one, and the statue-like purple one with snot dripping from its nose. Chazz may like those cards, but she certainly didn't.

But, now was not the time for that. Now was time for seeing just what penalty this Shadow Game would exact from her as the Metal Fiend Token sapped her strength. "Okay, I enter my Standby Phase."

The man laughed. "Good—now it's time to see what happens to you as your wish becomes closer to reality!"

"What are you talking about?" she said.

"I told you already: my Shadow Item creates a penalty where my opponent suffers through what they would be if they weren't a duelist. My Shadow Item saw into your mind, and discovered that this is the place you would be in if you could be. And now we will find out more of this dream-life of yours as my token steals your Life Points!"

Alexis stared at him in horror, and suddenly she felt a change inside her. Something was wrong; terribly, terribly wrong.

What had she just gotten herself into?

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Confronting the Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Confronting the Darkness

* * *

**

_The Shadow Riders: the seven most feared duelists in the underworld. They seek out an equal number of Spirit Keys, the mystical items necessary to open up a gate sealing back the three Sacred Beasts, who could spell the end of the world. Now, a mercenary with an eye on a very unusual prize has aligned himself with the Riders, and has agreed to help them reach their desired ends, provided he is compensated through use of the harsh penalties of the dark magic they possess. His target, now almost within his grasp, is Alexis Rhodes.

* * *

_

"I enter my Standby Phase," Alexis Rhodes said. "I know I have to pay the thousand Life Points for the Metal Fiend Token." She cringed at the though, taking an involuntary step back and hitting her head on the metal pole running from the wooden floor to the shadow-shrouded ceiling above.

Her opponent—a young man with an athletic build and close-cut black hair—laughed. It was his Metal Fiend Token she was now stuck with, thanks to his Exchange and Hand Control cards. And, because of a card called Lockdown, she couldn't decide not to pay for the token and let it fade away.

Their duel was something unlike anything Alexis had been involved in before. It was a Shadow Game, created by this man's Shadow Item. So far, each of the seven Shadow Riders (they certainly did like the word Shadow, didn't they?) had owned and used one. This one had a few rules that Alexis was not sure she completely understood.

First, this duel was played in their minds. She could see the cards in her hand, even though they weren't physically there. And, the cards on the field weren't actually there, either; her mind created stylized versions of the holograms generated by the normal Duel Disk systems. She had an Etoile Cyber, the Metal Fiend Token, and three Ojama Tokens cluttering her field, and one card face-down. But, because of her opponent's Nightmare's Steelcage card, she couldn't even hope to attack.

The next rule was that this game supposedly used what the duelists most wanted against themselves. As her opponent had described, his Shadow Item created what Alexis would most have wanted for her life if she couldn't be a duelist. The only thing making her doubt this was that this Shadow Game was taking place in a strip parlor.

She hated places like this; she felt that any woman working in such an establishment had given up their honor and dignity, replacing it with cheap thrills and dehumanization. She was revolted by the very thought that this was the Shadow Item's findings.

"Good," her opponent said, one corner of his mouth tugging up in a sly smirk. "Now it's time to see what happens to you as your wish becomes closer to reality."

"What are you talking about?" Alexis demanded. She thought that the Shadow Game just got harder to focus in as they lost Life Points; like, losing the will to fight, or something like that.

"I told you already: my Shadow Item creates a penalty where my opponent suffers through what they would be if they weren't a duelist," he began. Alexis's mind began racing as the implications of this began to sink in. She was standing on the stage at a strip club. What would the Shadow Game force her to do? "And now we will find out more of this dream-life of yours as my token steals your Life Points!"

Her imaginary Life Point meter fell from 4000 to 3000 as the effect of Fiend's Sanctuary took effect, keeping the Metal Fiend Token it had created in play.

And then, a burst of light burst from the center of the man's chest, angling upwards and hitting the ceiling. And then, suddenly, Alexis felt something changing inside her: something that she couldn't control.

When the light cleared, she looked down at herself, and gasped. Gone was her Obelisk Blue uniform—the white-with-blue-trim utilitarian shirt with blue shoes and miniskirt—replaced by a knee-length brown coat and high-heeled sandals. And, her hair—long, straight, and light-brown in color—had become an almost-ten-inches-shorter wavy cascade of a slightly darker hue. And, she now had a tan.

And then, to Alexis's complete surprise and disgust, she ripped off the coat and began to gyrate, shaking her chest and mover her hips. Her entire body was moving on its own volition.

Her opponent only continued to smile.

"What have you done to me?" she cried out. At least her mouth and mind were still under her control.

"I haven't done anything. My Shadow Item has," he replied with a note of wry amusement in his voice. "Nice bod, by the way."

Alexis wished she could tear his eyes out, make him pay for what he was doing to her. Then, she got a look at what she was wearing: an almost transparent band of tinted plastic around her waist, and what might have been a men's undershirt ripped just under the chest being thrust out by her breasts.

She blushed in shame. Maybe she should just give up now, and save herself from this. But, no—she had to save Jaden and Chazz from this man, and protect what she could now consider to be the last of the Spirit Keys.

There was no other option.

"Now, then, may I remind you that you can't really do anything this turn, unless you drew a Spell or Trap Card that can change what I've done so far." After all, he had seen her hand with that Exchange card.

Another blush arose when she thought, _that's not all of mine he's able to see._

"You're right," she said. She didn't have anything in her hand anymore that would work, at least not since he played his Ojama Trio. She couldn't summon a monster, meaning she couldn't activate her Allegro Tool card. She'd have to wait. "I end my turn."

"That's good," her opponent said. "I think I'll just set this card and end my turn." He smiled. "I guess it's time for you to pay for that Fiend Token again."

Alexis drew—_It's Blade Skater_, she thought with elation—and sighed. She steeled herself against the horror she knew she would experience from this next statement. "Yes. I give up 1000 Life Points to keep my Metal Fiend Token in play."

Her body still dancing sickeningly, her hands started once again to move on their own accord. First, rubbing along her front, the slowly worked off the thin material of her shirt; she twirled it on her finger for a moment, and then tossed it to the side. Underneath was an incredibly skimpy bikini top—thin string connecting two triangles about an inch and a half on a side.

Her cheeks flushed red again when her opponent said, "Nice boobs." But, much to her revulsion, part of her felt flattered by the comment.

Next, she turned around and began rotating her buttocks as she worked off the rubber beltskirt, and continued her dancing. She wrapped her body around the pole, sliding down and around until she was squatting, one leg outstretched, and nearly on the floor.

The psychotic opponent clapped. "An excellent display," he complimented. "Now, anything you want to do pertaining to the game?"

Alexis shook her head, trying to focus. Her mental representation of her hand was slipping; her vision was swimming. She was down to half her Life Points, couldn't attack, and had no way to summon a monster . . .

Then she remembered. She had Etoile Cyber on the field, and Polymerization and Blade Skater in her hand. Even though she couldn't attack this turn, being able to summon her Cyber Blader would make for a good change in pace once Nightmare's Steelcage was lifted.

Finally getting some measure of control over herself—trying to at least ignore her ceaseless dancing—she declared, "I activate Polymerization, fusing Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater together into Cyber Blader."

Her opponent sighed, rubbing a hand through his close-cropped hair. "I guess now's not the best time to tell you I decided to take advantage of the Torrential Tribute card I got off of you from Exchange, is it?" he asked.

"What?" Alexis wailed in distress. This was all spinning out of control—she would be completely defenseless, and those Ojama Tokens . . . well, she would be out nearly another thousand Life Points. She couldn't afford that.

But, regardless of whether or not she could afford it, a wave washed across her field and destroyed her new Fusion Monster and all four tokens on the field. She lost 300 points for each of the three Ojama Tokens, bringing her down to 1100. And, now the terror that was this duel would come to a new level of utter foulness.

Fortunately, though, all that happened to Alexis was that her dancing stepped up. But, that may have been the worst thing for her now. Suddenly, she was wrapping her body around the pole, twirling around, climbing up, and pulling gymnastic stunts she hadn't known she could even do.

"I summon Cyber Tutu in defense to end my turn," she managed to gasp as she did a split in the air, hanging upside-down on the pole. And then she lost total focus of the cards in her hand.

"Excellent, my sweet. I think I'll start this turn with Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." His hazel eyes lost focus for a moment. "I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to take down that face-down card—Doble Passé, isn't it?" Alexis grunted, dropping to the ground and continuing to dance.

"Now, I'll summon Chthonian Soldier. It has enough strength to take out that annoying little Cyber Tutu." Alexis cringed as her monster was hacked in two. "Now, make your move, my dear."

Alexis was able to catch sight of what she drew, but she knew it wouldn't help her much. Unless . . .

"I set a card face-down and end my turn," she said.

"Fine. You made this too easy. Chthonian Soldier, attack!"

Alexis tried to call out her defense, but instead grunted in pain as she fell off the pole on her rear. Just before the attack would have hit, she managed to strangle out, "I activate my face-down card, Cyber Shield.

"This card can only be activated if I have no monsters. It negates your attack; and, if it's the only card I have on the field, I can also set a Trap Card from my deck face-down on the field."

_Since Chthonian Soldier inflicts equal battle damage to me as he takes, I'll have to set something to block it. _She selected her card, and set it face-down.

"Now, it's my turn again," she said sensuously. She was starting to loose control of herself. "I summon Cyber Pitcher in attack mode."

Her opponent scoffed. "That thing has no attack points. What are you going to do with it?"

"First, I'm going to use its effect to return Cyber Tutu to the field in Defense Position. Then, I'm going to discard two cards from my hand to increase Pitcher's Attack Points to 2000."

Her opponent's jaw dropped as the oddly-colored woman in a baseball uniform settled onto the field.

"Cyber Pitcher, throw that Chthonian Soldier a curveball; right after I activate Spirit Barrier, protecting me from battle damage!" Her opponent winced as his Life Point meter fell 800 points.

_Now, _she thought, _let's see what this Shadow Game does to you._ She quickly regretted it, as the man settled down on a chair that suddenly appeared behind him, and he grew even more intent on the dance. Alexis realized then that this had all been a setup aimed at her: this man's greatest dream was being here, watching her perform.

"My move again, sweet," he mumbled. "I summon Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands, using it to search out Black Illusion Ritual. Next, I'll use the ritual and sacrifice Manju for Relinquished, in defense.

"And, with its effect, I'll absorb your Cyber Tutu." He grunted. "Your move—oh, and don't forget that Lockdown is still in effect, meaning you can't optionally destroy your Cyber Pitcher. She has to stay on the field, and you have to pay her upkeep fee."

Alexis frowned. That was right, but somehow she'd forgotten about the 500-point cost needed to keep her monster on the field. Now, though, she was about to pay even more Life Points.

She drew, barely recognizing the card—she thought it was Trap Booster—and felt horrified as once again her body began moving. This time, though, it was towards her opponent. She slid off the stage, and with serpentine grace, slunk over to the seated Shadow Rider.

He smiled as she approached, circling around behind him and rubbing her hands across his chest. Then, he reached down into his pants . . .

And drew out his wallet. "Fifty to 'watch the game,' if you know what I mean?" he whispered, that clearly mocking smile once again coming to his face. He slipped the wad of money into her top, making sure he rubbed her breast on the way in and out.

She felt violated.

She felt aroused.

She tried to stop herself from what she was doing, but she couldn't. She could barely even see the images of her cards anymore, let alone identify those images. She was losing all control. She was cracking.

She finished circling around her patron, and crawled onto his lap, massaging him as she ran her tongue along his neck and face. Eventually, she whispered—her voice coming out husky and low in pitch—"I attack with my monster to destroy Cyber Tutu equipped to Relinquished."

"My move, then," he client—opponent, she corrected her thoughts—said. "I will activate Card of Demise, and draw five cards. In five turns, I'll have to discard them; but, for now, I'll simply summon Mushroom Man #2, and pay 300 Life Points to switch control of him to you. Then, I'll activate a pair of Ground Collapse cards, so you can't give it back to me until after you attack. And now, my pretty little friend, it is your turn."

Alexis continued her lap dance, almost forgetting that she was dueling. "I draw," she began, just barely making out Mystic Wok before the next phase of her torture began. First, Mushroom Man released poisonous spores that sapped her of 500 Life Points, bringing her down to 100.

Still squirming over her part—opponent—she pulled off her bikini top and shoved her now-bared breasts in his face. She felt something hard poke up out of his pants, and wanted to back off. This wasn't right; none of it was.

"Now, pay for that Cyber Pitcher and this duel is over," he murmured, his tongue now extended into the valley between her beautiful mountains.

"Not . . . quite yet," she gasped, panting hard. "I'll use Mystic Wok to get rid of your monster and add its attack points into my Life Points before Pitcher's cost kicks in." She managed to pull away from him for a moment; her Life Points became 1350, and then fell down again to 850.

She gained a brief moment of clarity, before the power of the Shadow Item pulled her back in to lap dancing. She also gained the benefit of a pair of heart-shaped pasties with glittering tassels hanging from their tips.

The moment of clarity brought her a plan; a way to hopefully defeat this freak. She may not have any cards in her hand anymore, but her monster was still stronger than anything else he could easily bring out. And, besides, she still had another turn to play out before her monster would fully deplete her Life Points. If she drew the right card next turn, or if her opponent didn't have anything good in his hand, she could still win this.

"I'll attack your Relinquished and destroy it.

"Good; my move," he said. "First, I'll activate Trap Booster, discarding a card in my hand to activate Time Seal instantly. And, because the card I discarded was Ember of Fury, I can Special Summon a Pyro-Type monster to the field. I think I'll summon Solar Flare Dragon, and end my turn.

"Did I mention that, during my End Phase, you take 500 points of damage?" he laughed, grabbing her by the butt and pulling her to him. Alexis tried to resist, she really did. It seemed that the brief return of Life Points had earner her more than just less-than-complete toplessness; it had given her a bit of her self-control back.

Now, though, she couldn't draw, had less than 500 Life Points left, and was in the firm, incredibly strong grip of this madman, this perverted freak. She couldn't draw, had no cards to use, and was about to fall victim to her own monster's cost.

It was over. She had lost; she had failed. Her friends, the Academy, her honor and dignity: all of it was now meaningless.

Before anything else could happen to her, Alexis Rhodes's mind snapped like a brittle twig, and darkness descended on her as the shadows consumed her very being.

* * *

"Here's your key," Nathan, the alleged Shadow Duelist said to his contact. "I've gotten my reward from all of this already."

The other man, a giant concealed in a dark cloak and hat, smiled. "Yes, I know. I hope you enjoy it."

"I will. Once I am finished, I'll have the one thing I've always wanted." He chuckled, not even taking notice as his contact disappeared into the darkness around them.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Seeking the Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Seeking the Darkness

* * *

**

_Alexis Rhodes: the top duelist of the Obelisk Blue Girls' Dorm, she holds the hearts of every boy in the school. Her beauty is on a level similar to her dueling skills, and she has a kind heart, a gentle manner, and a will of steel. One of five students selected to guard the Spirit Keys, she had yet to face the trial of the Shadow Riders. And, upon waking up to a new day, the students of Duel Academy are now coming to realize that she is suddenly gone. Questions far outweigh the answers now.

* * *

_

"What a great day to be a duelist," Jaden Yuki said with his typical enthusiasm; even fighting back a yawn, he still had an eagerness about him that spread out to fill the whole room. He downed his entire breakfast—a plate of rice and dried-out fish—and half of Syrus's in under a minute, stopping only to drink water when he felt something get stuck.

"Yeah, great," Syrus Truesdale said, about as depressed as Jaden was enthusiastic. He was still trying to get over the fact that he almost lost his older brother, Zane, forever. One of the Shadow Riders, a vampire, had used Syrus as bait for a trap—Zane had to forfeit the duel and his Spirit Key in order to save his brother's life.

But, that had been a while ago yet, and Zane was alright now—Jaden saw to that when he used the vampire's own trick against her. But, then again, Syrus was by nature pessimistic, and once again was blaming himself for what happened.

"This is totally not licious," a deeper voice panted from the doorway to Slifer Red Dorm's cafeteria.

"What is it, Chum?" Jaden said, rising to his feet.

"You mean other than the running?" Chumley Huffington said, collapsing on a bench. The round, koala-faced teen must have really been in a hurry; he hated physical activity more than anything else, and even a fast walk would start him panting for breath.

It took three glasses of water to get Chumley to so much as groan again. A few minutes later, and he was ready to talk.

"AlexisismissingnobodyknowswheresheisMindyandJasminesentmetofindyou." He took a deep breath, and Jaden placed a hand over his mouth to forestall another lengthy outburst.

"Again, please, and slower," Jaden said. He'd _never_ seen Chumley do _anything_ that fast before, eating included. Chumley opened his mouth to try again when Jaden's PDA started squawking at him.

PDAs were given to every student at Duel Academy, for sending and receiving video messages between students and teachers. Usually, it was to offer challenges to duel, or ask about homework and projects. But, amongst the five students and two teachers selected by Chancellor Sheppard to act as guardians for the seven Spirit Gate keys, they were also used to coordinate their efforts and keep track of the group. With three of the keys lost already—the ones belonging to head professor Vellian Crowler, top student Zane Truesdale, and book-smart genius Bastion Misawa—it became even more imperative that the group was in near-constant contact.

Jaden flipped the cover off the PDA screen, a sinking feeling growing stronger in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly, two Obelisk Blue dorm girls appeared on the screen. They were both close friends of Alexis Rhodes, who was also one of key-keepers. Jaden had never really gotten to know either of the girls—they always struck him as subscribing to the Obelisk Blue dorm's policy of open hostility and elitism. On one occasion, he's saved Jasmine from an escaped monkey who'd been the subject of cruel laboratory testing. But, other than that, he preferred to keep his distance.

"Jaden, if you're getting this, then I guess Chumley hasn't found you yet," Mindy, the black-haired one, began. Chumley grumbled something, and Syrus shushed him.

"Anyway," Jasmine continued, "Alexis has gone missing. She went out for a walk yesterday afternoon, and nobody has seen her since."

"We think one of those shadow creeps might have found her. We're going to find Zane and Dr. Crowler; you find the others and we'll have them meet you in the courtyard outside of the main building."

"Thank you, and please hurry," they finished in unison. The screen went blank, and Jaden folded the cover back over it.

"Alright, then. I'm going to find Dr. Banner; Syrus, can you run over to the Ra Yellow dorm and find Bastion?" The green-haired boy nodded. "And Chumley . . ."

"Please don't say we have to run. I want my grilled cheese breakfast before I do anything else."

Jaden smiled. "Don't worry; just go upstairs and get Chazz up and give him the news. Let's go!" He and Syrus both burst out of the cafeteria, Jaden heading towards the main building (this time of day, Dr. Banner would be in his classroom instead of in his bunkroom/office two doors down from the mess hall). Syrus paced him until they reached the fork in the road that would lead him to the Ra Yellow dorm house.

_We'd better hurry. Alexis may be talented and smart, but these Shadow Riders are experts. I know I've scraped by mostly on luck and pluck; but I also know that Camula beat our top student and head teacher, and Tanya played Bastion like a cello._

_We are in over our heads, especially if they find a chance to divide and conquer.

* * *

_

"Is that everybody?" Dr. Banner asked, looking around. Chazz was leaning against one of the statues lining the courtyard with a look of disinterest on his face; Zane and Bastion were conversing over to the side; and Syrus and Chumley were sprawled on the lawn, trying to catch their breath.

_Business as usual_, Jaden thought. "We're still waiting on Dr. Crowler, Mindy, and Jasmine," he spoke up.

"I'm right here!" a prissy voice bellowed; everyone turned to see Dr. Crowler—the Academy's resident gender-identity-disorder joke—stalking towards them. Many people, upon looking at his rail-thin, white face, blond hair tied back in a bow, and odd style of dress, would mistake him for a woman. He'd even cut a third of the applicant class from two years ago for calling him "Mrs. Crowler," as the rumor went.

Of course, nobody who valued their position in the Academy would say that to his face.

When he arrived at the gathering, Jaden asked, "Where are Mindy and Jasmine?"

Crowler glared at him for daring to speak out of turn. "I'll have you know that I sent them to Mrs. Fontain. In addition to being our athletics director and school nurse, she is also our school counselor. The girls are incredibly upset about this, and I thought it best to not force them through this."

Bastion stepped away from Zane. "I am certain," he said, his British accent adding a sense of condescension to his voice, "that you asked them for any information that could be helpful _before_ you did so?" Bastion held Crowler in somewhat high regards under normal circumstances. However, he had no sympathy for Crowler's antics in serious situations like this.

_Leave it to Bastion to get right to the heart of the matter._

"I—ah, actually—they were too shaken for me to get any useful information out of them."

"Even if you _had_ actually tried, you mean," Bastion added, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, even if I had," the clown-like professor finished sullenly, clenching his fists.

"Please, please, this isn't getting us anywhere," Dr. Banner said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "Now, we must work together to find Alexis. If she's gone, that leaves only three keys amongst us, meaning the Shadow Riders have half of their goal achieved already."

Chazz huffed. "So what if they did get her key? There isn't a duelist in that group who can take me down." Jaden noticed a strange look in Dr. Banner's eye with the comment, but it quickly passed.

"How about the fact that Alexis is missing?" Banner pressed. "Surly you don't want her to end up in the same boat as previous losses: her soul trapped in a card or a doll, or married off to some sort of freak?"

Chazz blushed. "Fine, I see your point. Why are we hanging around here, then?"

Chumley pushed himself off the ground. "Because . . . Jasmine and Mindy had . . . a note . . . about Alexis," he struggled to say, still gasping for air after the morning's runs. "Here, I've got it with me." He removed a folded piece of paper from his pocket, and Dr. Crowler quickly snatched it away.

"It says that we are supposed to meet here!" Crowler exclaimed. "What is this?"

A shadow fell across the gathering, and a dark voice said, "This is called a trap, former key-keeper." Jaden turned to look at the source of the familiar-sounding voice—and his blood ran cold.

Before them stood a man in a dark cloak and hat, the latter shrouding his face. The man was built like a mountain—he had to be, because he wore a Duel Blazer not unlike the one Dr. Crowler typically used. He was a Shadow Duelist who had once tried to take Jaden out of the Academy forever by kidnapping Alexis.

_And he's done it again!_ Jaden thought, rushing to confront him. "What do you want?"

"Well, I want your keys. All of them—Banner, Princeton, and especially you, Yuki." The man laughed, a low, painful noise with no mirth to it. "I am one of the Seven Shadow Riders."

"Right," Jaden said, turning to throw a wink at his companions. "I guess he didn't get his job back with the circus after all." He instantly regretted saying that, as the giant grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

"Now, see here, you overgrown mass of muscle," Crowler began. "I will have no one manhandling my students that way. Do I make myself clear?" He glared at the Shadow Duelist.

"I don't care about what you think, pencil-neck. Camula has already taken your key, and you are no longer my concern. Only the three remaining key-keepers are."

"What—did you—do with—Alexis?" Jaden gasped as the man's grip tightened. "Where—is she?"

"I had nothing to do with her disappearance. That was . . . another." He frowned; slightly, but it was an expression of disgust. "But don't worry, her key is safe with my master. The fourth Spirit Gate is now open, and I will see to it that the remainder follow swiftly."

"Then put me down, and let's duel!" Jaden said as the fingers around his neck began to slacken. "It's time to get your game on again!"

The duelist focused his eyes on Jaden—two of his eyes, the boy noticed. Between and slightly above them was the Eye of Anubis, the symbol that had been on the seven Millennium Items that legends spoke of. And, so far, it had appeared on the items the Riders had, too: the necklace and pendant Jaden now had, and Tanya's gauntlet that had been left at her arena when she turned into a tiger.

Meaning that this time, the ex-carnie _was_ a real Shadow Duelist.

"I have no interest in dueling you yet. I would much rather start with . . ." One finger snaked out, first pointing at a cowering Dr. Banner, and then at the ever-arrogant Chazz. "You, Princeton. I want to duel you."

"Fine by me," Chazz snarled. "I've been waiting for my turn to stomp one of you losers for a long time." He snatched a Duel Disk out of Syrus's hands, and slid his Deck into it. "Now it's time for you to go bye-bye," he growled.

Suddenly, though, the Shadow Duelist's eyes narrowed. "I am sorry—I do not have time to challenge you now, in the bright of day. I have other work to attend to. I will, however, strike again later. You shall all suffer my wrath."

And, just as suddenly as he's appeared, the man vanished. Jaden blinked, wondering if it had all been some weird daydream. But, if it was, everyone around him also had it. Meaning that it was real.

"Oh, well," Crowler said. "Better luck next time, Chazz m'boy." He made a production out of wiping the sweat from his brow. "Perhaps we should begin looking for clues."

"We already have on," Bastion spoke up. "This Shadow Duelist isn't the one behind it. Notice how he made no bragging about defeating her; such a cheap emotional stab would be quite expected, especially from a character like that."

"What do you mean?" Banner questioned.

"What I mean is, this 'shadow duelist' isn't behind her disappearance, at least not directly. I'd go as far to say that he doesn't approve of whoever did it. Perhaps it wasn't even a true Shadow Rider, but an outsider masquerading as one."

"You mean like we thought the Admiral was at first?" Syrus asked.

"Exactly," Jaden said, rising to his feet; the Shadow Duelist had tossed him on the ground before he left. "I did notice he was not exactly thrilled about the fourth key. Bastion's probably right. No, he is right. Now, we just need to find whoever actually did it."

"Good, students. We have a lead, and now let us follow it," Banner said, stroking his obese cat Pharaoh—the feline must have just joined the party upon the Shadow Rider's departure.

"Don't worry, Alexis," Jaden whispered as the others started laying down a plan of attack. "I will find you."


	4. Surrounded by Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Surrounded by Darkness

* * *

**

_Shadow Games: Long ago, rulers and sorcerers created a game steeped in ancient spells. In contests of magic and wizards, the fate of individuals, nations, and the world were constantly being decided. These Shadow Games were thought to be locked away long ago, but resurfaced a short while ago, centered around a boy named Yugi. Now, years later, on the remote island home to Duel Academy, those Shadow Games have risen again.

* * *

_

Alexis Rhodes awoke slowly. She wished she hadn't come to at all—her head was throbbing, her arms and legs hurt, and she was very, very cold. Underneath her, she could feel a cold, hard floor. But that couldn't be right . . .

Her room in the Obelisk Blue Girls' Dorm had shag carpeting, the finest in the world; only in the lobby were there marble tiles. She felt the coldness with the whole of her body; she should have been clothed, either in her functional school outfit or her nightdress. It felt as if she was lying on the floor completely naked. She couldn't remember where she was, either. That worried her.

Finally, blinking to remove the grime from her eyes, she looked around her. She was in a dimly-lit room, and she was indeed sleeping on a bare, uncarpeted floor.

And she herself was indeed bare.

Well, mostly: she had on high-heels, a red g-string, and heart-shaped pasties. She'd never worn high-heels, except for her Academy uniform boots, in her life. She would certainly never get caught dead in a thong. And pasties . . . she didn't even want to consider it.

But how had she—wait, now she remembered. It was that Shadow Rider. He forced her into a Shadow Game where, as the duel progressed, she sunk further and further into shame as she defiled her body. Now, he had captured her and was forcing her to wallow in that self-degradation. If she ever saw that man again, she would kiss him.

_Wait a minute! _Alexis screamed mentally. _What was that thought?_

Had her mind just said she would _kiss_ him?

No, it wasn't possible. She would hate the scoundrel who did this to her until the day she died. Or, until the day _he_ died, more like. After that, the point would be moot anyway. But, when she did find him, she was going to . . .

She stopped. _I better not give myself the chance to have _that_ thought again_.

But why had it occurred in the first place? Well, better not to think about it. Better to think about something else. Anything else. Like how she was going to get out of here. But, that brought her back to another thought she didn't like:

She would have to duel him again.

And if she lost again . . . well, right now she was a prisoner with next to no clothing on. Next time, she'd be lucky to have her life and her soul. In fact, she'd be lucky to last through another duel like that first one.

But, as if someone had been reading her thoughts, a slot in the dimly lit room's only door opened, and a Duel Disk fell to the floor. And, on the far side of the room, a bright light cut through the murk: a solid beam, floor to ceiling, about a yard in diameter.

And _he_ appeared in the light. "This is a hologram, so don't even bother trying anything," her captor said. Alexis, who had kicked off her shoes and was crouched and about to attack him, rose to her feet.

"I have an offer for you. I'm challenging you to another duel. This time, you get your freedom, or you have to stay here with me forever."

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"Because it's your only chance of getting out of here. Be glad that I'm giving you even this opportunity: you lost a Shadow Game once, and that should be reason enough for you to have been bent to my will. But, I'm nothing if not fair. One duel for the key, the second for you."

"And if I don't accept?"

"I have other ways of getting what I want," he said. "Don't dare question that fact, my dear." He grinned. "Come now. I've prepared a special deck just for you, and it's time to—what's the popular phrase now?—'get your game on.'"

"Fine." She slipped the Duel Disk onto her arm, removed and shuffled the deck, and slid it back into its slot to activate the device. It beeped, and the field scanners extended to their active position. "I'm ready."

"Good. Last time, ma chère, you began. This time, I'm in a hurry. I want to get this over with quickly. So, I draw—and activate my Different Dimension Wormhole card. It costs me half of my Life Points to activate, but that's alright: it removes itself from play, and will draw any other card I play into the other dimension.

"And, that's only the beginning. D.D. Barrier Spell will cut my Life Points again, to 1000. But, as long as this card remains removed from play, my Life Points will be 1000 for the remainder of the duel. If they go up, they go to 1000; if they go down, they go to 1000. So, regardless of what happens, you can't damage me." A burst of static sprayed across the hologram image. "Of course, now that I'm set, let's have the real duel begin: I set a card, and activate Card Destruction. My hand goes out of play, and I draw no cards. You, on the other hand, get five new ones."

Alexis slid her cards into the Graveyard slot, and drew a new hand. As she did so, she felt suddenly dizzy; a haze settled over her mind. _What's going on?_ She thought, trying to search her brain for some problem. But nothing came to mind. It was just as if a—what was the word? Like a cloud hovering at ground level. But for the life of her she couldn't remember the _word_ for it.

"Now, don't lose focus already. I'm not done my move," the Shadow Rider said. "I'm going to now activate the card I set, Just Compensation. If I have no hand, and you hold five or more, you discard two cards and then I draw until my hand equals yours."

She wasn't paying attention.

"You discard two cards, and I draw three," he prompted. She numbly obeyed. "Okay, I'm going to set a card and play D.D. Drainer in Defense Mode. He has 1300 Defense Points, and during my End Phase, you get rid of the top cards on your deck. Since I have two monsters—Witch Doctor of Chaos and D.D. Assailant—out of play, you have to drop two cards." Not really paying attention, she took the top two cards—a pair of Spells she'd never before seen—in the Graveyard.

The . . . feeling increased. "My turn," she whispered, drawing and looking at her hand. She had four cards, all of them unfamiliar. One was called "Foxy Lady," and had 1800 Attack Points. Its text read:

"Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot attack."

"I summon Foxy Lady in attack position," Alexis said, feeling only slightly more confident. A holographic burst of flame appeared before her, and then a black-haired woman in a skintight red dress (with plunging neckline and ending much higher-up on the thighs than it should) appeared.

"Foxy Lady, attack," she ordered. The monster's eyes blazed, and she flicked a finger towards the D.D. Drainer; it instantly combusted. Before ending her turn, she looked at the rest of her hand. All of them seemed worthless at the moment: Stolen Kiss, which let her discard two cards and tribute a Damsel monster to take a monster from her opponent's Graveyard. Your Right-Hand Girl would let her sac one Damsel to let the others attack directly. Girl Power, which added her Damsels from the Graveyard to her Deck and let her draw an equal number of cards.

None of those would be helping _her_ anytime soon.

"D.D. Survivor, in attack mode!" her captor shouted. "Attack!" The shrouded monster teleported towards her monster, slashed it across the throat, and both vanished. His monster returned. "Since my Survivor got removed from play, he comes back at the end of the turn. Your move."

And, where her monster had been only seconds before, she could see the faint outline of _someone_. It looked like—that was right, Zane Truesdale. One of her friends from the Academy. Wait, what was his name again? His image was fading.

And suddenly it was gone, and so was her memories of whoever that image had been of. If there had been any memories, or image, to begin with. Either way, she couldn't remember a thing. It was slightly disconcerting.

"I—uh, I . . ." she stopped to think for a moment. She'd drawn a monster named Light-Footed Nymphet. Once per turn, it could return set cards on the field to the owner's hand. And her opponent had that one face-down card. "I summon Light-Footed Nymphet in Defense Position and return your set card to your hand. That's all."

This monster was a dark-haired girl clad in a white toga, draped over one shoulder and ending at mid-thigh. It blew a kiss at her opponent, and a small winged heart appeared, flying at his set card. The trap vanished from the field and reappeared in its owner's hand.

"Fine. I'll set these two cards, and attack your monster to end my move." When D.D. Survivor slashed a knife-like hand across her monster's throat, she saw the image of another person—no, it was Bastion someone and Chazz something. And, like that, they were both gone. She shook her head, blinking, wondering what was going on. But, then, it was her turn, and she had to do something.

"I draw—" _Pure-Natured Lass_, she thought, reading the card over. _When destroyed in battle, I get to draw a card._ "I summon Pure-Natured Lass to the defense, and end my turn." This monster was a freckle-faced red-head in a flower-patterned sundress.

"And I'll destroy it with D.D. Survivor—that is, right after I set this monster face-down. Mustn't get ahead of myself, should I?" Once again, she had the sudden feeling that something had been lost from her mind with the destruction of her monster.

"Don't forget: I draw a card from my monster's destruction." She did exactly that, and smiled. Hopefully, it was something good.

"That's all well and good. But, now I get to activate Handouts. It lets me draw an equal number of cards as what your effect bestowed, and then you draw three additional cards." Alexis sighed: _what is he trying to do, give me exactly what I need_?

"You're obviously wondering why I'd activate Handouts if it gives you a plus-four advantage? Well, you will understand after I activate Multiple Destruction. This trap forces us to discard our hands and draw a equal number of cards. But, I take 100 points of damage for each card. And, in this game, 1000 points minus 700 points equals 1000 points. Fancy that—and all thanks to D.D. Barrier Spell and D.D. Wormhole! Turn end."

And, as Alexis slid another large batch of cards into her Graveyard, she felt that . . . what was the feeling again? Whatever it was, it was growing deeper. Or something like that.

"I pick up a card," she said. Somehow, what she said seemed wrong. "And I turn on Cloths Shopping. This takes away two stars from all of my girl creatures. Like 'The Scarlet Streetwalker.' And I put it on the paddle."

If the other monsters were suggestive, this one was blatantly offensive. Her miniskirt was split up the sides, her halter top was barely holding in two voluptuous breasts, and her golden-brown hair was falling in a wavy cascade behind her. And, the gleam in the creature's eye instantly removed any doubt of her profession and moral integrity.

"And I put 'Assertive Assets' into the paddle. This makes our monsters switch sides, and when one is killed, so is the other. Now, I take your monster and attack mine." The two monsters clashed, and then both vanished in smoke.

"An awful lot of effort for nothing, Alexis," he said. "Especially considering what happens since another of your monsters was destroyed." And she could feel it again—and now she knew that something was actually happening. She saw—was that Jaden?—no, she couldn't lose him!

"Jaden!" she cried out, falling to her knees. "Ja—" and then she couldn't remember what she was about to say. And the darkness inside her mind grew all the more painful to her.

"Don't forget that when your monster gets destroyed in battle, she calls out a monster whose attack or defense is lower than the card that destroyed her," the holographic man prompted. "So, you can either go with a monster below 1800 Attack or Defense, or 200. Go ahead and pick."

Shakily, Alexis—that was her name, right?—got back to her feet, and looked through her cards. "I pick 'Guardian Blonde" to defend me, and I play Spurned Suitor to send your monster back to the deck when it comes back at the end of the turn." Her monster, an armored girl with long golden locks, knelt down to protect her.

"Naturally, you picked a monster that isn't destroyed in battle. No matter." He picked up a card. "First, I'll play D.D. Distortion. It only works if I have no other cards in my hand, and it forces you to discard half of the cards in your hand. In case you no longer remember math, you have four cards and therefore must get rid of two of them." He watched with a sick smile as she tried to figure out how many and which cards to discard.

"Next, I'll Flip Summon the monster I set last turn: Cyber Jar. This nukes the field, and allows us to draw five new cards. Any Level 4 or lower monsters we get are placed on the field. And, I get to summon Gren Maju Da Eiza, with 4800 attack points!"

"I got Nimble Minx and Oceanic Babe. I put them to defend." The first monster was a long-limbed girl dressed in leaves, and an inviting smile on her face. She could attack directly when other girls were on the field. The second was an orange-haired girl wearing nothing but sea large pink seashells; if she'd had one more girl on the field, her opponent would lose two cards from his hand.

"Now, I'll discard my hand and cut Da Eiza's attack by activating Fiend Scattershot. Of course, he gets to attack three times this turn because I have to discard three cards. I guess that's the price you pay, though, for ultimate victory.

"And, with some side benefits. Before his attack is cut, Da Eiza gets a 1200-point boost from my discard. He also gains 400 more points _after_ the chain resolves and the Fiend Scattershot card is removed from the field. Then, there's also the cards I discarded: Revenge of Dark World and Dark World Draining. Revenge forces you to discard three cards as well (you have five right now, meaning you'll have 2 when this is over). Then, Draining takes the top four cards from your deck and puts them in the Graveyard—that's right, four. No, stop there," he admonished; she blushed.

Could this get any badder?

* * *

Nathan smiled wickedly. "That's right, four. No, stop there." 

Apparently, his Shadow Game was going too well: she couldn't remember how to count her cards anymore. This game was one of memory: each card sent to the Graveyard drained general memories, while each monster destroyed on the field and sent to the Graveyard cost an important memory, usually of a loved one.

And, with about thirty cards sent to the Graveyard, and another six destroyed, things were going quite nicely. As for him . . . well, thankfully, his remove from play strategy had worked flawlessly, protecting his Life Points and his Graveyard from everything. Soon, this would be over and he would be the victor.

"Da Eiza, attack with Chaos Shatter Burst!" he declared; his monster laughed, and fired volley after volley of energy at Alexis's two defending monsters. A huge holographic explosion rippled through the room he was keeping her in, filling it with dust clouds. In a moment, when the dust settled, he could see that hollow look in her eyes as more memories were ripped out of her.

He could also see that the force of the blast had sent her rolling across the floor and ripped the pasties clean off her breasts. He licked his lips in hunger as Alexis slowly and shakily worked her way to her feet.

"Now, attack again!" he ordered. His monster sent another salvo of electricity her way; once again, she went rolling across the floor, and—just as Nathan had hoped—her flimsy panties tore off. She was completely naked and vulnerable, both internally and externally. He'd exploit that later. Now, though, he had 600 Life Points left to take. And, with the end of its last attack, Da Eiza vanished into the unknown.

"Your move."

* * *

Her head swam. She couldn't think—couldn't remember anything. Not her name, not her past, nothing. She was empty inside. Everything was gone. Everything. She was alone, cut off from the rest of the world. 

She knew only one thing now: she had to win. She had to find a way. "I d-d-draw," she stammered, clinging to that word with all her might. She would _not_ let anything else slip away from her. "I activate the effect of Dark-Natured Cutie, calling her to defend me," she said, shivering all over. "And I use Unwitting Seductress. When she dies, I get your monster."

"Whatever. It doesn't matter." The evil man smiled. "I activate Chaos Greed to draw two cards. And, I'll use the Chaos End I drew to take care of all monsters on the field."

A big wind flew through her room, and her monster died. And, just for an instant, she saw . . . her brother, Atticus, who meant more to her than the world. And, as if some massive hand reached into her soul, she felt him torn away forever.

She began to cry.

"And, I'll finish this duel now with Dimension Distortion, summoning back my Gren Maju Da Eiza to end this duel with his Chaos Shatter Burst!" the evil man shouted triumphantly.

And she blacked out before the attack even hit.

"So, it's done," Nathan whispered, looking at his monitor. "She lost the duel, meaning she's mine. Her memories are gone, meaning I can change her as I see fit. Now, all I need to do is get her up, and start rebuilding what I have destroyed in my image.

"Now I have everything that I need, for the rest of my life."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

* * *

**IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED, THE NEW CARDS USED IN THIS ARE:**

* * *

D.D. WORMHOLE 

Spell Card

Pay half of your Life Points and remove this card from play. As long as this card remains removed from play, your cards are removed from play instead of being sent to the Graveyard.

* * *

D.D. BARRIER SPELL 

Spell Card

Pay half of your Life Points and remove this card from play. As long as this card remains removed from play, your Life Points remain what they were when this effect was activated.

* * *

JUST COMPENSATION 

Spell Card

This card can only be activated when there are no cards in your hand, and your opponent has 5 or more cards in his/her hand. Your opponent discards 2 cards. Draw cards from your Deck until you and your opponent have the same number of cards.

* * *

D.D. DRAINER 

LIGHT

Fiend/Effect

During your End Phases, your opponent sends 1 card to the Graveyard from the top of his/her Deck for each of your monsters that is removed from play.

ATK/1400 DEF/1300

* * *

HANDOUTS 

Trap Card

This card can only be activated when your opponent draws a card(s) from his/her Deck from a card effect, except "Handouts". You draw a number of cards from your Deck equal to your opponent. Then, your opponent draws 3 addition cards from his/her Deck.

* * *

FOXY LADY 

FIRE

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot attack.

ATK/1800 DEF/0

* * *

STOLEN KISS 

Spell Card

Discard 2 cards from your hand and Tribute 1 Damsel Monster. Special Summon 1 monster from your opponent's Graveyard.

* * *

YOUR RIGHT-HAND GIRL 

Trap Card

Tribute 1 Damsel Monster. During this turn, your Damsel Monsters can attack your opponent's Life Points directly.

* * *

GIRL POWER 

Spell Card

Return all Damsel Monsters in your Graveyard to your Deck. Then, draw 1 card for each Damsel Monster on your side of the field. You cannot conduct a Battle Phase during this turn.

* * *

LIGHT-FOOTED NYMPHET 

WIND

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. Once per turn, return 1 Spell or Trap card on the field to the owner's hand equal to the number of Damsel Monsters on the field.

ATK/1000 DEF/1300

* * *

PURE-NATURED LASS 

LIGHT

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, draw 1 card from your Deck.

ATK/1600 DEF/100

* * *

CLOTHS SHOPPING 

Spell Card

Downgrade the Level of all Damsel Monsters in your hand by 2 until the End Phase.

* * *

THE SCARLET STREETWALKER 

DARK

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, Special Summon 1 monster from your Deck with an ATK or DEF lower than the ATK of the monster that destroyed this card.

ATK/1700 DEF/1400

* * *

ASSERTIVE ASSETS 

Spell Card

Select 1 face-up Damsel Monster and 1 face-up monster on your opponent's side of the field. Switch control of the selected monsters until the End Phase. If either selected monster is removed from the field, destroy the other selected monster.

* * *

GUARDIAN BLONDE 

LIGHT

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. This monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle.

ATK/100 DEF/1800

* * *

SPURNED SUITOR 

Spell Card

During this turn, when your opponent Special Summons a monster, it is placed on the bottom of your opponent's Deck.

* * *

D.D. DISTORTION 

Spell Card

This card can only be activated if it is the only card in your hand. Your opponent must discard half of the cards in his/her hand.

* * *

NIMBLE MINX 

EARTH

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. If there is another Damsel Monster(s) on your side of the field, the battle damage inflicted by this card is doubled.

ATK/500 DEF/500

* * *

OCEAN BABE 

WATER

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. When this card is Normal Summoned while there are 2 or more Damsel Monsters on the field, your opponent discards 2 cards from his/her hand.

ATK/1300 DEF/400

* * *

FIEND SCATTERSHOT 

Spell Card

Discard your hand to activate this card, and select 1 face-up Fiend-Type monster. During this turn, only the selected monster can attack, the ATK of the selected monster is halved and it can attack a number of times equal to the number of cards discarded to activate this card. During the End Phase, destroy the selected card.

* * *

REVENGE OF DARK WORLD 

Trap Card

This card can only be activated when discarded from your hand. Your opponent must discard a number of cards equal to the number of your cards discarded along with this card.

* * *

DARK WORLD DRAINING 

Spell Card

This card can only be activated when discarded from your hand. Send the top 4 cards on your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

* * *

DARK-NATURED CUTIE 

DARK

Warrior/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. If there are no monsters on your side of the field, you can Special Summon this monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position. You cannot Normal Summon a monster(s) during the turn this effect is activated.

ATK/0 DEF/0

* * *

UNWITTING SEDUCTRESS 

Spell Card – Equip

This card can only be equipped to a Damsel Monster. When the monster equipped with this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, shift control of the monster that destroyed the monster equipped with this card to you.


	5. Trapped in Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Trapped in Darkness

* * *

**

_Penalty Games: When one messes with the powers of darkness, one becomes consumed by it in the end. The Millennium Items, and the Shadow Charms after them, created deadly Shadow Games. The losers of these games must pay a penalty, usually to look into the very fabric of their souls and face their own true nature. Other times, it is the innocent who are ensnared in the Penalty Games. And when that happens, only tragedy can befall the poor victim.

* * *

_

Nathan, from the fortified room he was in, smiled as he surveyed the carnage laid out before him in vivid hologram. The last wisps of smoke, both from his fiend's attack and its ensuing disappearance, were vanishing and the dust was settling. Even though he was deep underground, and the room where the action had taken place was especially well-fortified, he'd been able to hear as well as feel the blast from his chamber.

Then again, he was immediately above that room, standing in the holographic scanning field that was relaying his image directly below.

"I guess now's as good a time as any to head down there, before she has time to recover." The ex-Underground Circuit sponsor and general duelist-for-hire hit a button on the control box balanced atop a thin square rod just outside of the shimmering recording field. Fighting back a smile, and fingering the Shadow Locket hanging from a golden chain around his neck, he waited as the lift he stood on lowered down into the room below.

Although he had no clue why exactly this place had been put on the Academy island—he'd found it nestled amongst some abandoned laboratories—it suited his purposes at the time. Now, he was ready to leave; he had his private home nestled in the countryside of the United States of America, where he would be able to go undisturbed as he carried out the rest of his plan.

The lift came to a rest, and he stepped off into the room that, moments before, had been displayed before him in hologram. He surveyed the damage—negligible, all things considered—and then turned his attention to the only feature that stood out against the deserted nature of the chamber.

With a smile, Nathan walked towards the unconscious form of his captive, lying completely bare before him. As he approached her, she began to stir; brown eyelashes began to quake and a groan escaped from her dry lips. Before she could completely come to, Nathan pulled a bottle of chloroform and wetted a cloth with it.

"Wha—" the girl exclaimed, as he pressed the cloth against her face. She went limp once more.

"Sleep sweetly, my dear," he whispered, hoisting her naked body onto his shoulder. He then pulled a Palm from his back pocket and keyed a special command. The PDA gave an affirmative beep: Nathan's boat was on its way to the nearest place to dock.

"I love technology," he said, returning to the lift and keying for it to rise. The technology where he was taking this girl was second to none, including all of the best mind- and memory-altering machines in the world. His special-ordered devices would quickly create a new persona to replace the one the shadows had stolen.

And, if things didn't work out exactly as he'd planned, at least he would be able to return to the Underground Circuit with a new person to sponsor. And, with some of the changes he had in mind, the low-class fools who frequented the Underground would be very, very entertained by her.

And Plan C if that didn't work out . . . well, hopefully it would never come to that.

* * *

Collapsing against a tree, Jaden Yuki slid to the ground to catch his breath. He, Syrus Truesdale, and Chumley Huffington (some three hundred feet back from them) had been searching the Duel Academy island for hours, trying to find any sign of Alexis Rhodes, the mysterious Shadow Duelist, or the even-more-mysterious person they thought was working with the Shadow Riders. 

The sun was just beginning to sink low on the horizon, casting an orange glare over the choppy seas. Jaden had chosen the closest tree to the shore to be his resting place; Syrus had just fallen over in the sand. And, when Chumley arrived a few minutes later—all the while grumbling about running and food—he followed Syrus's plan.

Jaden pulled out his PDA, and checked the island map feature. They were close to a restricted area, which was where the top-secret animal-testing facilities had been earlier that year. According to Dr. Banner, those laboratories had been abandoned when the school's owner found out about them and threatened to sue.

Which meant that there were probably several abandoned buildings that someone could easily hide in.

"Come on," Jaden said, finally rising to his feet. "We have to start moving again."

"Aw, do we have to?" Chumley groaned. "Can't we stop for dinner first?"

"But we didn't bring any food, Chumley," Syrus reminded him for the umpteenth time that afternoon. "You have to wait until we get back to the Academy."

"Can't I just wait here, as a . . . you know, rear guard or something. Yeah, a rear guard. That would be totally licious."

Jaden sighed. "I guess. Make sure to call us if you see anything, okay?"

"And be sure to call _me_ if you guys see anything," Chumley huffed. "If someone is able to get past you, maybe I can ambush him."

"Sure, why not?" Jaden said. "Alright, then, guys. Time for me and Sy here to get a move on." And they set out again, headed for what appeared to be a gap in the forest where the laboratory buildings should be.

* * *

"Proximity alert," the automated alarm system cried. "Unauthorized person or persons approaching. Proximity alert." 

Hitting a button on his PDA, Nathan cut the sirens and keyed the surveillance systems. An image from the perimeter buildings appeared, showing a pair of teenage boys slinking past them. They were on the other side of the compound from this building, but that wasn't saying much.

"I guess this is it, then," he whispered to his charge, whose head lolled on his shoulder. "Say goodbye to your old friends and old life." She didn't respond, of course—the does of chloroform would keep her out for hours. Giving a cocky shrug that redistributed her weight, he set out.

They were coming around the corner of the building he had vacated just as he was getting everything set in the boat. As a just-in-case, he'd already pulled in the anchor lines, and the boat was already drifting away even before he restarted the motor.

The two boys—one with two-toned hair, the other with a shaggy head of green—gave a shout and ran towards the dock. But they were too late—they, and Nathan, knew it instantly. With a laugh, he started the engine, and kicked it into motion. The boat rocketed around, away from the dock. Nathan hugged close to the shore, trying to build up momentum before he sent his small craft out to the open seas.

And he wished he hadn't: another boy, a pudgy teen lying against a tree, saw him and jumped to his feet, shouting. Nathan couldn't hear his shouts over the roar of the engine, but it didn't matter. He'd been spotted again. And this boy was in a position to radio in to help.

He was out of the forest, and away from the radio-jamming field he'd set up to block communications.

Snarling, Nathan pulled the wheel hard port, and shot away from Duel Academy Island, hopefully never needing to see it again.

* * *

Several hours later, with his small craft bobbing on the deep green waves of the open sea, the mercenary thought out how best to handle his next steps. He was in the middle of nowhere, and his electric compass had shorted out during a storm he'd passed through (his standard compass had washed over, as well). He still had a decent supply store aboard, including chloroform. 

But, he no longer had any idea where he was, where he was going, or how he was going to get there. He had only one fuel tank left, when it had taken him several to make the initial trip.

"This isn't going to be pleasant if I have to start rowing," Nathan muttered to himself, throwing a glance over his shoulder at his cargo. _My passenger_, he corrected himself ruefully.

She was beautiful, lying unconscious in her seat, arms draped on the side of the boat, head back. The last glimmers of sunlight before nightfall made her hair glow with golden highlights. His eyes were drawn to her pale face, her slender neck, and down to the swell of her breasts. He felt a stirring deep down within him, but suppressed it.

_No. I will wait until she invites _me_ into her. Not before. That is my victory condition._

But, he had no trouble admitting that the girl who was once Alexis Rhodes was simply stunning to look upon. And she was his, won in not just one, but two Shadow Games. She was his forever.

Turning back to the wheel, he reflected on the Shadow Locket still hanging around his neck. It was a priceless item, of unknown origin. But it was powerful, and that power drew him to it. Oh, how he _enjoyed_ those Shadow Games, the risk of life and death. The thrill of it all . . . he would decide every major event with one, if he could.

But, alas, it would not be so. To tempt the powers of darkness . . . well, he could suffice to say that playing "poke the bear with a stick" would be an occupation befitting a better life expectancy than that.

But, none of this was helping him out of his present predicament.

"I could rig up some sort of electric converter," he grunted. "If nothing else, it could conserve the fuel a little better."

But, before he could even move, another boat came up behind them, a giant spotlight searching the waves. It had the Duel Academy symbol on the starboard flank, and Nathan knew that they were searching for him.

"Batten down the hatches," he spat, shutting down all the lights, cutting out the engine, and getting his Duel Disk ready for action. It looked like he was going to be getting his Shadow Games in again after all.

* * *

"I don't see anything," he heard one of the sailors say. Nathan, disguised in a flowing multi-layered black cloak and mask, slunk a few meters behind the pair of men, noting how they scanned the water. 

He crept forward, until they entered the cabin to report in to their captain. Nathan waited for them to get a new assignment and walk out; he dropped into step behind them and dropped both to the ground with doses of chloroform. Unfortunately, the captain had spotted him.

"That's far enough, Shadow," he addressed Nathan—indeed, his disguise made him look like a giant moving shadow. The man stepped out of the cabin, brandishing a custom duel disk sporting a gemstone for the Life Point reader. "Now, I understand your kind likes dueling. I'm willing to take you on."

"Excellent," Nathan said through a filtered voice. "I would like nothing better than to show you my power." He readied his deck, a new creation based off of a theme that he'd heard about being used by one of the Shadow Riders. Perhaps by emulating them now, he would be able to mislead any survivors.

"I'll start, and play A Legendary Ocean," the captain said. "And I'll use its ability to allow me to summon Giga Gagagigo without a Tribute." The man smiled through his dark beard. "Did I mention I'm an academy graduate, the valedictorian of my class?"

Nathan grimaced under his shrouds. "No, you failed to mention that fact. Not that it makes a difference. I begin, by playing the card Alchemic Pot – Chaos Distil. It will remove all cards sent to my Graveyard from play. And next, I will activate three Spell Cards from my hand: Iron Lamp, Copper Scales, and Lead Compass.

"These summon to my field three Alchemic Beast monsters, each with the ability to attack your Life Points directly. Prepare to lose it all!"

* * *

The last of their screams were dying away into the last wisps of shadow, and Nathan allowed himself a small smile of victory. Not only were all the men on this boat out cold, he had access to the _whole god-forsaken boat_! He had access to all the fuel and supplies he would need to continue! His plan was _working_, even when fate seemed to have turned against him. 

"That's game."

But then a new noise cut through the darkness of the barren ship. Something that shocked Nathan to his very core, made his blood run cold. He strained his ears to hear it as it vanished, hoping his ears had deceived him.

But, no such luck.

"Alexis," he breathed, rushing back to his small boat.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**


	6. Corrupted in Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Corrupted by Darkness

* * *

**

_The Ocean: the great expanses of sea, infinitely wide and deep. Its great depths have captured the imaginations of man for centuries untold, and as far as mankind explores into the reaches of space, he still has fear for what lies beneath the surface of his own little world: because the ocean, which so easily brings life to the entire world, just as easily takes that life away.

* * *

_

She awoke slowly, gingerly, her head pounding as if a full-size marching band was performing Sousa marches at the speed of light. It was not pleasant, to say the least. She tried opening her eyes, but it was just as dark with them opened as closed; she rubbed them, clearing out sleep sand, and hopefully whatever it was that caused her to see only blackness.

It was a wasted effort; she could still see nothing, not even the hand that must have been hovering just inches away from her face. Then she realized that she was covered in a blanket.

"How stupid of me," she said, her voice husky and throat sore from lack of use. She pulled the thick cloth off, and rose up on weary legs. "Where am I?" she asked aloud—not expecting an answer—as her head poked through. She shook her head, freeing her long brown hair.

She was in a small motorboat, tied to the side of a larger boat—a yacht of some sort?—in the middle of nowhere. She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself.

That was when she noticed she was completely naked. Head to toe; nothing covered her at all. She was alone, in the gathering darkness, and laid bare.

She shrieked in shock, backpedaling. She screamed again as she backed into the side of the boat, lost her balance, and plunged into the dark waters. Darkness claimed her.

* * *

"Because of my Double Attack card, Giga Gagagigo can attack twice in the same Battle Phase; and, because of your weak Alchemic Beast monsters, that means this duel is already over for you."

"The duel is as good as over, but not for me. I activate Elemental Absorber; and, by discarding my Aqua Spirit card from my hand, I can block attacks from all WATER-Attribute monsters on the field. Giga Gagagigo is unable to damage me. And that means you are going to be defenseless as my Alchemic Beasts transmute your Life Points into nothingness.

"Now, it's my turn. I activate Chaos Greed: because of the four cards removed from play, I can now draw 2 additional cards. And I think I'll use both of them now, and finish you off. Therefore, I activate Silver Key and Mercury Hourglass, summoning up my two more of the Alchemic Beasts from my deck: Silver Moonface and Mercury Echeneis. And, like my Iron Salamander, Copper Ouroboros, and Lead Lion, these monsters can attack you directly."

The captain smiled. "Well played, Shadow Rider. Since I have no defenses against your attack, my remaining 2500 Life Points are yours for the picking. I accept defeat, and your Shadow Game will punish me with as a result."

Nathan, the dueling mercenary, smiled. "No penalties. You will simply sleep for a while, you and your comrades. I cannot have you interfering in my work. But I owe you no ill will."

"For this, I thank you," the bearded man responded, inclining his head.

"Alchemic Beasts Iron Salamander, Copper Ouroboros, Lead Lion, Silver Moonface, and Mercury Echeneis: attack his Life Points directly." The five alchemic monsters rushed forward, and the captain screamed in pain.

"That's game." It was true that he wasn't really doing anything permanent to the captain—his mind would be overwhelmed by the pain, and he would faint, and awake some time later. Whether it was in this ship, or Nathan's little motorboat with all its problems, remained to be seen.

He turned to head back for his package, when he broke into a run. At first, he didn't know why. But, as his brain started to settle down into analytical mode, he processed what little bit of information had triggered this automatic reflex.

He'd heard a scream.

And, seconds after he realized it, he heard the sound of something falling into water.

"Alexis," he breathed, shedding his bulky cloak. Underneath, he wore a wetsuit—lightweight, it didn't conflict with his costume, and was practical considering he was on an ocean voyage, with a high potential for ending up "in the drink."

He reached where he had docked his small motorboat, and looked down into the black waters. _No, where _is_ she_? he thought frantically, searching the waves. Then he caught a glimpse of her rising to the surface, just for a second. That was all he needed.

Nathan practically slid down the grapple line he used to get aboard the main deck, and as soon as he set foot on his own doomed boat, he took a running start and dived into the black abyss.

It took him a moment to get oriented, but a moment was all. He turned on the emergency light attached carabineer to his chest pocket, shining it through the murk. He caught another glimpse of Asuka, descending towards the bottomless black. With a sharp kick, he jetted after her, hooking his arms underneath hers, and reversing direction.

And, tense seconds later, Nathan broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. Alexis, cradled in his arms, was unconscious—not breathing—and he hastened to get her aboard the boat. She fell with a wet _plop_ on the floor; he pulled himself up after her, panting for breath, his heart racing.

Standing over the soaked beautiful naked form, Nathan ran down his options. First things first: he knelt down, and checked for breath and heartbeat. The latter was present, but faint; the former, as far as he could tell, was not. So, he did what he could: set into the role of CPR. He knew that television had an inaccurate portrayal, and that his chance of success was low. But, it was all he had right now.

He tilted the head back to keep the tongue out of the way and check her airway, and then began taking deep breaths to transfer directly into his captured prize's lungs. Then, taking great care, he began pumping the chest, trying to get things moving again. He once again returned to breathing into her, and continued the process.

"Come on," he snarled, panting still and taking a moment to rest. "Don't die on me." He took another deep breath, put his mouth up to hers, and hoped.

* * *

This time, she awoke suddenly, with wracked by a hacking cough she couldn't get off. Her eyes snapped open, and went wide as she saw someone's face pressed against hers. She would have screamed, if she could breathe. Instead, she began to flail; the person over her opened his eyes and fell backwards.

She began hacking and coughing, and then vomited. Her empty stomach growled, and she heaved again, and began to cry in pain and fear. She was back in this boat, shivering with cold, her soaking hair clinging to her. She was still naked, and now there was someone else here.

Someone else . . . slowly, meekly, she opened her eyes and looked at the man sitting across from her. He was of an average, slightly athletic build, with short-cropped black hair and dark eyes that were, she could tell, normally brooding. Now, though, she could see that they were full of concern. And something came over her.

* * *

Nathan looked at Alexis with concern: there was no telling how long she'd been out, if there had been brain damage, or how she would react. He hoped his Shadow Pendant had done the trick, and erased him from her mind in those last few seconds before she'd been knocked unconscious by it, back at the abandoned laboratory. So many thoughts and fears whizzed through his mind, each worse than the last.

She knelt there, on the other side of the small boat from him: hands planted between her bent legs, like a frog ready to leap, body hunched and shivering in fear, and a cascade of dark dripping-wet hair obscuring her face and body. But, through the curtain of silken fibers, he saw her eyes slowly open—and he saw that he'd already won.

She was ready to give herself up to him.

_But not yet; I need to cement this first._

"Are you alright?" he asked tentatively. She nodded. But her shivering increased and she was getting paler. Without further word, he pulled out the emergency kit from beneath the seat. He removed the emergency blanket and wrapped it tightly around her; his arm followed suit, squeezing her shivering body against him.

At first she resisted; then, she melted against him, shuddering. It only took a moment to realize that she was sobbing. He almost started at that, but refrained; she dug her head in between his neck and left shoulder, and began crying openly.

"It's going to be alright," he said soothingly, stroking the back of her head. "It's going to be alright."

* * *

Chancellor Shepherd, principal of Duel Academy, shook with fury. "You mean to tell me that you _had_ the Shadow Rider caught, but you let him get away? He _plundered_ your ship? And you did _nothing_ to stop him?"

The captain of the security vessel paled. "I—he challenged me to a duel."

"And you _accepted_, with a student's _life_ on the line?" If anything, Shepherd was even more enraged.

"It was a Shadow Game. He already knocked out most of the crew—I'm guessing with chloroform or something. I figured that if I could beat him at his game, he might let us alone."

"But you shouldn't have _taken_ that kind of risk. Now, he's gone with one of _my students_, and we don't know where he went!"

"I'm sorry, sir . . ."

Shepherd sighed. "You were the top student of your class. But that was a while ago, and apparently you've forgotten what made you such a good student here. You're fired. I want you off the island by nightfall."

"But, sir—!" Professor Crowler, who up till now had remained silent, cried out. "We cannot afford to lose someone of his—"

"We can and we will." Shepherd glared at the pale-skinned European teacher until he hid behind a chair. "You're dismissed from your duties, son. Get out of my office."

Shepherd sat down at his desk, and hung his head in defeat.

The students like Atticus Rhodes, who'd disappeared in the Forbidden Dorm, had been one thing. This was an actual kidnapping that could not—would not—be ignored by the Board of Directors and Mr. Kaiba himself. Shepherd realized that this might be the final straw for Duel Academy.

And with Duel Academy gone, there would be no one to protect the Sacred Beasts.

_This is bad. Really bad_, he thought.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**


	7. Sealed in Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Sealed in Darkness**

_The human mind: intellect and consciousness—the intangible mental elements of the living, thinking human being. Influenced greatly by the chemical aspects of the brain, which it is often confused with, the mind can very easily be bent to become something different. Something new. Change the mind, and you can rewrite an entire person. One of the greatest powers of the Shadow Pendants: they have the ability to alter the mind quickly and irreparably._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Position," Jaden Yuki panted. "And I'll throw down a face-down for later. It's your go."

His opponent, shrouded in a thick cloak, face hidden behind a grotesque mask—Titan—smiled. "That's all you have? Well, then, I'm going to have to make short work of you."

"How can you? Shadowknight Archfiend and Terrorking Archfiend can't get through my monster."

"There's more than one way to defeat a strong defender, boy. You'll learn that quickly this time." Titan grinned as he drew a card from his heavily-modified Duel Disk system. Built into his thick garments, the Graveyard and Deck were attached to his chest, and a giant blade made the play-surface. It was like Dr. Crowler's Duel Vest, only a darker version of it.

"I tribute both of my Archfiend monsters to summon Nightmarecheck Archfiend, with 3000 attack points!" The two wicked creatures vanished into the darkness, replaced by a giant hulking skeleton with wreathed in flames. Its eyes glowed red as it glared upon Clayman. "When battling a defending monster, if Nightmarecheck's attack is higher than the opponent's defense, you still take the difference. Now, my great monster, attack!"

Jaden had to turn away as his Hero was consumed in a black fire and destroyed. His Life Points fell to 100, and then he looked at his Deck. The Life Point read-out said, "Top 5". "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"When my monster destroys one of your monsters in battle, you must send the top five cards on your Deck to the Graveyard. I'd say that pretty much seals it for you, doesn't it?"

Jaden looked at what was discarded—his Sparkman, Wroughtweiler, Burst Impact, Cyclone Boomerang, and Dark Catapulter cards. Then, he got an idea. "I activate my face-down card, Hero Signal. Since you destroyed my Clayman in battle, I get to summon a new Elemental Hero to take his place. And I choose Elemental Hero Bubbleman." The monster, which bore a striking resemblance to the famous American hero Batman, appeared, posing on the field.

"And Bubbleman just hates being out alone, so he lets me draw two new cards."

"No matter. I'll simply destroy him too."

"No, you won't. Because it's my move, and I'm going to start things off by playing Fusion Recovery—getting back the Avian and Polymerization cards I used earlier in the duel. Next, I'm going to play The Warrior Returning Alive to call back Sparkman. And, with Polymerization, I get to join all three into Elemental Hero Tempest."

"That monster is still 200 point too weak for me."

Jaden smiled. "You really forgot who you're dealing with, didn't you? I wouldn't bring a monster out if he was useless. I'm going to defeat your bad guy, and I'm going to do it now."

"How?" Titan didn't look worried, but there was a slight tremor in his voice.

"You'll see. And then you'll return Alexis to us. First, I'm going to play Monster Reborn, to bring back Elemental Hero Bladedge. Then, I can sacrifice Bladedge and activate my Gift of the Martyr Spell Card—this lets my Tempest gain Bladedge's attack points for a turn."

"That still won't bring me down—I'll still have 2950 Life Points left afterwards from when I used Altar for Tribute on the Flame Wingman that became possessed by Falling Downn."

"No you won't—I activate my final card, The Last Gift of Strength. It lets me remove any monster in my Graveyard, and give its abilities to one of my monsters for the turn. You get to draw 2 cards, though, so I guess that's fair. Except that the card I'm choosing to give him the Super Power of that selfsame Flame Wingman."

"What? Your Flame Wingman?" Now, there was a tremor to Titan's lip as well as his voice.

Jaden laughed. "Yeah, you know—the one that burns you for the Attack Points of whatever he destroys?"

Titan gulped audibly.

"Now, Elemental Hero Tempest, attack with Air-Slice Blaster!" The super-powered monster roared, raised his upgraded weapon-arm, and fired a burst of condensed energy; the blast fanned out into the shape of a giant blade, cutting through the hulking figure of the Archfiend. "Now, finish it with Thunder Scorcher!"

By the time the smoke and dust cleared away, Titan was gone. Only his mask remained.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She awoke, once again, with a start. This time, she wasn't surrounded in darkness. Nor was she soaked to the bone, her face pressed against that of a stranger. She found herself, this time, in a bed. It was a nice bed, as far as she could tell—soft, with comfortable sheets, and nice fluffy pillows.

She got out of bed, and realized that she was still naked.

This time, it didn't bother her as much—she wasn't alone on a boat in the dark, nor was she with a stranger. She could live with being naked by herself, in a nice room. And it was indeed a nice room. It was a little small, but it had a dresser, and she could see a bathroom on the other side of the room. Sliding out of the bed, she first made her way to the bathroom.

After a lengthy shower, she began exploring her surroundings. In the bathroom, she found all the toiletries she would need. She also found some stuff that she didn't know the purpose of—a plastic cylinder ending in a bulb-shaped head, a similarly-shaped thing that had an on/off switch (some electronic device?) and other stuff. She decided to leave them alone and explore their use later.

She then explored the bedroom; she found clothing to get into. She decided on knee-high stiletto-heeled boots of gleaming leather, a microskirt (there were several, as well as some beltskirts), and a tight white shirt. The shirt was a size too small for her, so she had to cut it up with scissors she'd found. Now, the shirt was missing the top of the shoulders and a good chunk of the chest. There were no undergarments that she could find.

It wasn't much, but she was alone and there weren't a whole lot of options in the clothing she found.

And, since there wasn't a door out of the room that she could see, she decided to sit down and think. Try to figure some stuff out. First, where was she? Why was she here? Why couldn't she remember anything, even her own name?

For the next hour, she sat and thought. When it didn't get anywhere, she decided to explore some more. The first place she went was back to the bathroom.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nathan leaned back in his office chair and smiled. So far, everything was going according to plan. By leaving the girl once known as Alexis alone, with no personal memories to sustain her, he was forcing her to discover a new self. The carefully-selected items in the room were all designed to push her towards a particular way of thinking.

A way that would give Nathan a great deal of pleasure, when it was all said and done.

And it wouldn't take that long, either. The room he'd put her in—entered through a hatch in the wooden floor—had several cameras set up that fed directly to the computer before him. At the moment, he was looking at the one set up in her bathroom. And she was just now trying to figure out what the toys he'd left for her were.

Women were so imaginative—it didn't take her long to figure out what they did. Or rather, how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

_This is going to be even easier than I thought_.

Apparently, while the Shadow Pendant he'd received was able to erase all of the personal memories of the girl named Alexis Rhodes, it hadn't even altered her physical memory. And one of the most recent events in her physical memory was the erotic motions her body had been forced into during their first duel.

Then, there was also the fact that her hormones were no longer being constrained by any sort of societal standards, and she had no memories to tell her _not_ to do so. She was basically operating on her physical memories, her instincts and pleasure drives, and whatever her mind could figure out on its own.

Nathan smiled, and picked up a food tray. He went up the stairs and cracked open the hatch, sliding the food tray up and onto the floor. From the bathroom, he could hear a slight buzz, and thought he heard a high-pitched exclamation of surprise, followed by a drawn-out "Ooh!"

So she'd figured out the mystery of the vibrator, and decided it was a good thing. A little nudge of dark magic would etch that in her mind for eternity. With a sick grin on his face, Nathan headed back downstairs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The toys in the bathroom occupied Nathan's subject for a good long while. He decided against watching—it was being recorded anyway—and instead prepared himself for the next phase of his plan. It involved using his Shadow Locket's powers directly in another Shadow Game.

Right now, the magic of the little item permeated the room his subject was in. By soaking the room in the mystical energies of his Shadow Locket, he was cementing anything that happened inside her mind and body. Any physical memory she developed would exist till she died, and every mental one would be almost as indestructible. As she pleasured herself up in her room, she would forever remember what she did and the feelings it caused in her.

And, it was slowly destroying any inhibitions she had about what she was doing. It was a game of willpower, and she had already lost.

But Nathan had to be careful; he had to be crafty. He was messing with a dark energy far beyond his ability to fully control. Were he to misstep anywhere along the way, it could destroy his plans.

When playing with fire, you'll eventually get burned.

Nathan wanted to ensure that today wasn't that day.

He figured he may as well go along with another Duel Monsters game, if she was up to it. While Alexis Rhodes the personality may be dead, the girl had a natural gift at the game that couldn't be erased by the magic he'd used. Even operating on instinct, she would be alright.

This duel, though, was going to be a slow torture. Just a hundred or two Life Points at a time. It would have to be, after all: this one, the stipulation would be the rewriting of memories and personality. He would be creating a new Alexis Rhodes, one better suited to his needs and desires.

Even if he had to do it point by painful point, all four thousand of them.

It took him a while to get his deck—and her deck—prepared. He was going to let her use something similar to the deck she'd already played, the Damsel Monsters one. He found it to be a rather weak, if artistically impressive, monster family. They wouldn't pose much of a threat, at least against his deck.

And then he realized: why did he need to play with fire in the first place? If he had her in the palm of his hand, why risk messing with forces beyond his complete control? He could instead shape her more naturally into what he wanted.

The first step would be to go upstairs and begin cementing the trust she seemed to be growing for him. It was time for her third meal since waking up. Gathering his courage, he set the two decks aside, and headed for the stairs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This time when the man snuck in with food, she was ready. Or, as ready as she could be. She did not expect for the floor itself to rise up, or for the man to climb all the way into the room. She was so shocked by this that, instead of diving for freedom as she'd planned, she dove for the bed and hid on the other side of it.

The man wore jeans and a black tee-shirt. He had dark hair and eyes, an average build, and a look of concern on his face.

She, on the other hand, looked terrible: her awful long hair had come out of the tail she'd pulled it back into and her makeshift shirt was ripped down the front and exposing her to the world. Knowing that she would have to run, she'd taken off the boots and was now barefoot. She had no undergarments. She was shaking in fear, pale as can be.

She peeked out from the bed, and saw those concerned eyes looking at her.

He wasn't trying to hurt her, she realized. He was taking care of her. He saved her, and now was nursing her back to health. She owed him. She owed him her very body.

And the memories of the pleasure she'd experienced this day rose in her mind. Perhaps she could try to share that pleasure with him?

Yes, of course. And with that realization, she tore off the ruined shirt, and stood up smiling.

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NIGHTMARECHECK ARCHFIEND

Fiend-Type/DARK/8 Stars/ATK 3000/DEF 2000

Can only be Tribute Summoned by Tributing 1 "Terrorking Archfiend" and 1 other "Archfiend" monster. During your Standby Phases, pay 1000 Life Points. (This is not optional.) During battle between this card and a Defense Position monster with a DEF lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. When this card destroys an opponent's monster as a result of battle, send the top 5 cards on your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

THE LAST GIFT OF STRENGTH

Spell Card

Remove from play 1 monster from your Graveyard. Until the End Phase, the effect of that monster is applied to 1 face-up monster on your side of the field. Your opponent can draw 2 cards from their Deck.


	8. Playing in Darkness

**THE SHADOW LEGACY**

**Playing in Darkness**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

_Underground Ladies: the division of the Underground Circuit participated in by women for the enjoyment of men. Abduction of girls for this league is common, forcing them into duels where they are fully revealed before a throng of hooting men. Hardly considered a sport, the purpose is entertainment of the audience, right down to the actions these "duelists" are forced to do in public. And it is run by Téa Gardner._

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

"Come in, Nathan," called a silky voice.

Nathan—dueling mercenary, Underground Promoter, and general heartless scum—gulped before rising from a grimy chair to enter the office from which the summons emanated. He would deny fearing the person within, but there was no escaping the fact that the office contained one of the most influential people in the Underground Leagues.

With a deep breath, a pat on the dueling deck in his pocket, and a tap on the Shadow Locket around his neck, Nathan walked through that door and into the office of Téa Eternity—known in a previous life as Téa Gardner.

She sat there, wearing nothing but pasties and a sick grin. Her long, silky brown hair fell in a cascade over her shoulders, but not obscuring a huge bust. Her skin was tan, her body incredibly shapely, and for all intents and purposes, she was perfect. Except for the viciousness of her eyes, a hardness borne of a deep hatred for someone or something from her past.

It was her eyes, which radiated such hatred, that caused Nathan's stomach to knot.

She stood up as he entered, extending a hand. He walked over, took it, and brought it to his mouth to be kissed. "Lady Eternity," he said.

"Nathan, a pleasure to see you again. I hear you have a new prospect for my league?"

"Yes I do. A fascinating young woman, all of fifteen years old. She's a natural—in more than one way—and it would be a mistake not to take her in."

She nodded noncommittally. "You have photos?"

He pulled out a small packet from inside his pocket, selected one, and handed it over. It showed Alexis—now with short blond hair, a tan, and an expression of bliss on her face—crouching naked, with a pink dildo sticking out from between her spread legs. Another showed her kneeling, the dildo in her mouth. A third showed her in the midst of a strip-tease.

"Child pornography much?"

"Since when has your organization cared about the law?" That got a chuckle out of the woman.

"And her dueling prowess?"

"Naturally gifted, as I said." Nathan cleared his throat. "If you don't believe me, give her a trial match and see what happens."

The sultry seductress of Duel Monsters grinned. "How about instead, I give you a test? You win, and she's in. I win . . . and _I_ get _you._"

"Wha?" Nathan asked, jaw dropping.

"You heard me. If I win the duel, you and I will have a little bit of fun—my way."

Nathan cleared his ear with a finger. "I'm sorry, I must not be hearing you correctly. Are you suggesting that if you win, you—Téa Eternity, queen of the Underground Ladies—want to—"

She rolled her eyes, and walked around her desk to him. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled his head down into a seductive kiss. He returned it eagerly. Then she pulled away, and reached for her duel disk. Nathan produced one from the sack on his back, and set it up.

"I want her in this program, and I don't want to violate myself with you," he growled. Which was a lie, of course. But he had decided to dedicate himself to his partner, who he was now trying to get into the world of Duel Monsters in a capacity that would work out greatly for the both of them.

"You don't know what you're missing," Téa replied, finger slipping down to tap on her pussy.

"Just duel," Nathan growled.

"Fine. We start with five cards each, and 4000 Life Points. You know the drill; I'll go first." She drew her hand, and an additional card. "I start by playing Familiar-Possessed – Wynn in attack position, and setting a face-down. Your turn."

Unlike the normal holographic projections of Duel Monsters cards Duel Disks had been designed to emit, the Underground Ladies had special programmed images. For instance, Wynn's skirt blew up in the wind to reveal her undergarments, and her shirt fell off her shoulders to expose breast.

"My turn—and this duel is already over. I activate D.D. Barrier Spell; this card removes itself from play at the cost of half my Life Points."

"Whatever. Anything else?" she demanded impatiently.

"Geez, in a hurry for something?" She nodded, glaring at his crotch. "Fine. I play D. D. Assailant in defense position and end my turn."

Téa tossed her hair back over her shoulder. In the process, she knocked the tasseled pasty off one breast. "I activate my Magical Dimension card to Tribute Wynn and summon Dark Magician Girl. Oh, and it destroys your dyke."

Nathan grimaced as the monsters on the field both vanished, but he couldn't help but be impressed with what the Underground Ladies' programmer had done for one of Duel Monsters' most attractive cards. She was covered only in the strand of cloth that hid her nipples and the arrow-shape flap that covered her vagina (abbreviated to point at it more than anything else). Augmented breasts, longer legs, and an even cuter smile made her the most beautiful creature Nathan had seen other than Alexis.

"And she'll attack," Téa said as he was gawking at the monster. The monster flew up to Nathan and pushed him down into a chair; she proceeded to give him a holographic lap dance.

But his Life Points remained safe, which Nathan was quick to point out.

"What is going on here?" Téa shrieked.

"My Barrier Spell basically took my Life Points out of play, where they can no longer change. Now, unless you have anything else you want to do, it's my turn."

"Go," she said, finally looking truly irritated.

"Great! Next, I play D.D. Wormhole, which also removes itself from play and will take any card that would go to my Graveyard out of play. And, I'll next use Future Fusion to remove thirty Machine-Type monsters from my Deck to form Chimeratech Overdragon. And, since I removed so many monsters, it has 24000 attack points."

"But you can't attack with it this turn."

"I know—but it doesn't matter. I summon D.D. Drainer, who discards the top cards on your Deck for each of my monsters who gets removed from play. And that means you lose 30 cards."

Téa grimaced; then, after a look at her hand, she smiled. "You just sealed this duel, didn't you?"

"Yes. You only have three cards left in your Deck, and you'll draw them before I deck out."

"That's what you think." She drew. "And that's game. I set two cards face-down, summon Magician's Valkyria—" This female spellcaster was almost as bare as her counterpart. "—and activate Exchange, forcing us to switch a card in our hands."

Matthew smiled. "Take whatever you want." He showed his Giant Trunade and D.D. Crazy Beast; she selected the former. She showed the only card in her hand—a Graceful Charity.

Before they parted, Téa reached up and kissed him again. "I activate Hand Control, and select Graceful Charity," she whispered in his ear.

Nathan took a step back, then another. With three cards left in his Deck, that meant he would be unable to draw at the start of his next turn. And that would mean he would lose the duel. That he _had_ lost the duel.

Before he could retreat any further, Téa threw him down on her sofa and straddled him.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

The next morning, the staff saw him leaving at a rushed pace from Téa Eternity's office, a limp in his step. Or, so the staff tells it.

Nathan actually left the next afternoon, after the staff had left for the day. The limp, though, would not have been a lie if anybody had been around to witness it. He quickly left the office building where Téa's organization was believed to be a tourism agency, and took a taxi to the train station that would lead him back to the town he was now keeping Alexis in.

When he arrived, she was waiting at the door, a look of concern on her face. "Where have you _been_?" she demanded, melting in his arms. She was so overjoyed to see him that she slid down his body, knelling down, and started to pull his pants down.

"No, not now. I have news for you," he whispered, tilting her chin up. Her eyes, so innocent, filled with wonder; the shoulder strap of her apron, the only thing she wore when at home, fell. "You're in!"

It had been quite the screwjob to pull that one off, too. Téa had been ready to let him get home the night before, but he pleaded Alexis's case as best he could. For that, he had to stay the night until Téa was "satisfied." Which was not an easy task.

Then, he had made a special request for her first opponent. He had brought a special deck of Duel Monsters card with him—he called it merely "some Cyber-Sporty nonsense"—and asked that her debut match would pit her against that deck. That earned him a stay until that afternoon, and made for an almost-twenty-four-hour experience that he would never forget.

The point of having Alexis play the deck from her former life was to ensure that she was truly and irreversibly his. And, as the game progressed, he would use his Shadow Locket to drill into her a hatred for those cards.

"I am?" she shrieked, reading his face. "I am!" She began jumping up and down in girlish enthusiasm. He clamped down his hands on her shoulders, and she calmed down.

"You have a match at the event tomorrow. We don't have much time to get you ready."

For a moment, Alexis looked worried. Then, the innocence gone from her eyes, she smiled a seductive smile. "I know the first thing we need to do to get ready," she whispered.

And this time, he didn't stop her.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

"The following is your Underground Ladies' opening match this evening," said the announcer, a woman dressed in a mesh bikini with long black hair. "On one side, we have Monica, Cyber Princess!"

The crowd roared for the veteran loser; she was a girl barely out of her teens, large breast, wearing a cheerleader's outfit. Her duel disk was one of the highly curved, sensuous models designed by the black market specifically for use in the Underground Ladies. Hers had a customized color scheme: the playfield was plaid to match her skirt, while the central hub was the same cream color of her shirt (completely unbuttoned, and showing a black bra underneath).

"And in this corner, we have our newest debuting darling Alexis, la Femme de la Soirée!" She pronounced the name with a French accent, to go along with the French maid's outfit she was forced into wearing. She hated it, but knew that if she lost a lot of Life Points, it wouldn't stay on for very long.

The rules, as Nathan had explained them, were simple enough. Both girls would start with 4000 Life Points; the object was actually to lower the opponent's Life Points slowly and delay the conclusion of the duel as long as possible. During that time, as they lost points, they would be stripping off their clothing, fawning over each other, and basically anything that could get a reaction out of the crowd.

As much as Alexis liked the idea, she didn't like the idea of risking losing for another's pleasure. She would win this to show she wasn't a pushover.

"Begin!" the announcer cried shrilly; the crowd roared again.

"Since you're a first-timer," Monica said with a sweet smile, "I'll let you go first."

Alexis nodded, and drew her cards. "I think I'll start with Pure-Natured Lass in Attack Position." Behind her, the freckle-faced redhead in a floral-patterned sundress appeared, giggling slightly. The thin strap of the dress fell off one shoulder, and the girl giggled some more as she pulled it back up.

Monica sighed, disgusted with the monster. As if she had been expecting something better than a 1600 Attack Point monster that would allow her to draw a card when it was destroyed. "I summon Cyber Tutu in attack position."

Alexis frowned inwardly. There was something that felt slightly wrong about having a Cyber Tutu summoned against her; but, after a moment, the feeling passed as Monica declared, "Tutu, attack her Life Points directly!"

The monster danced forward, and whipped a leg around in a vicious kick. Alexis was knocked off her feet, and as she came to her senses again, she could hear the crowd cry out, "Take it off! Take it off!" After a moment, she realized what they were saying: she had to take her clothing off. So, she stripped off the outer part of the maid outfit. This was greeted with a huge cheer: apparently, they loved her body.

"I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Alexis smiled, feeling her competitive drive grow. This girl would find out just who she was messing with. "I summon Nimble Minx in Attack Position! She can attack your Life Points directly, and because I still have my Lass on the field, the damage gets doubled. So, attack and even up the score!"

The long-limbed, leaf-clad girl danced forward with far more grace than even Cyber Tutu had; she also whipped out a vicious spin kick, but it did not send Monica to the ground. She simply shrugged it off, and started parading forward, making a show of pulling down her skirt. She then came over to Alexis, pulled her close, and kissed her. The crowd went nuts.

Once she recovered, Alexis stammered, "Pure-Natured Lass, destroy Cyber Tutu . . ."

But Monica was ready. She tore off her shirt before saying, "I counter with Doble Passe, taking the attack to my Life Points while allowing my Tutu to attack you directly again!" Her Life Points fell to 1400, and as the Lass retreated, Cyber Tutu—now wearing only a pink lace bra and panties herself—rushed forward for another kick.

The force of the attack brought Alexis to her knees, and her monsters lost most of their coverings as well. She removed her garter belt and stockings, and the crowd's raucous cheering grew even more obnoxious.

Alexis scanned her hand, and noticed the cards were vibrating. No, they weren't shaking: she was trembling. And she didn't understand why. But that didn't matter, because at that point she made a decision.

She would destroy this girl and her Cyber Athletes, destroy them and never have to face them again. "I lay two cards face-down, and end my turn," she said, her voice now cold as ice. "So, see if you can handle that."

To this, Monica smiled, laughed in her ear, and then her tongue played along the girl's jaw line. "You don't stand a chance now, newbie." She retreated back a few paces before drawing. "And I can prove it, by using Polymerization to fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater into Cyber Blader." Alexis's eyes narrowed as the nude skater materialized behind Monica.

"Now, since you have two monsters, her attack points double up to 4200, meaning that once I kill off your little Minx, I'll win the duel!" The monster surged forward, but suddenly the long-limbed girl settled down into a crouch and brought her arms up in a defensive cross over her bare chest. And, when she cried out and shattered into glass shards, Alexis's Life Point count didn't change.

"Not so fast," Alexis had said as the attack approached. "My Dressing Change causes her to switch to Defense Position, sparing my Life Points." Once the dust cleared, she continued, "And, with my Black Book trap, your monster's indecencies are recorded: my monster comes back, and your monster loses half of her attack points."

Monica considered this for a moment, and decided that there was only one thing to do. "I switch Cyber Tutu to Defense Position and end my turn."

This time, Alexis came forward and kissed her opponent, lightly, on the lips. "This is goodbye," she whispered. When she returned to her place on the dueling floor, she said louder, "I activate Clothes Shopping, downgrading the Level of all my Damsel Monsters by 2; next, I'll Tribute my Pure-Natured Lass to summon Lady of the House, who will rule this festering brothel with an iron fist!"

From a long holographic staircase, a long-haired woman with a stately attitude about her descended. As she came to the dueling floor, she shed her dress and lingerie—as part of the altered hologram program used by the Underground Ladies—and glared at Cyber Blader. The monster shattered under her scorn, and Monica's Life Points fell by 400 to 1000.

"Did I mention that any monster she destroys gets its ATK subtracted from your Life Points?" Alexis said, blowing a kiss at her dumbstruck opponent. In celebration of her victory, she ripped off her bra and began parading around the dueling field, as thousands of roaring fans cheered her on.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**NEW CARDS USED IN THIS CHAPTER**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

DRESSING CHANGE

Trap Card

Activate only when your Damsel Monster is the target of an attack. Change the Damsel Monster's Battle Position.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

BLACK BOOK

Trap Card

Activate only when your Damsel Monster is destroyed by battle. Special Summon the destroyed monster and halve the ATK of the monster that destroyed it.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

LADY OF THE HOUSE

DARK

7 Stars

Warrior-Type/Damsel

If there is a monster(s) on your side of the field that is not a Damsel Monster, this card cannot be designated as the target of an attack. When a monster is destroyed by battle with this card, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK

ATK/2500 DEF/1700


End file.
